I’m not exactly sure when it happened, but at some point in the very recent past, Nintendo completely forgot how to release a video game. Many of the most anticipated Wii U titles were pushed out of the launch window, and their release dates have grown increasingly nebulous. Then, last month Nintendo tried to release Fire Emblem: Awakening without having any physical copies available, which turned into a gigantic fiasco . And now Lego City: Undercover is getting a similarly disastrous treatment.
Over the last couple of hours, I’ve spoken to GameStop employees from Minneapolis, Los Angeles, Chicago, Dallas and New York, and not a single store has received a copy of Lego City: Undercover. This is particularly strange because I also have a press release from Nintendo, which I received yesterday, stating that the game has been released.
So, just to be clear, Lego City: Undercover was secretly released yesterday, yet no physical copies seem to exist. Maybe Nintendo is hoping that we’ll just download the game, but the Wii U’s hard drive is tragically small. So, it’s almost like they’re teasing us.
GameStop doesn’t seem to know when their copies will actually start showing up, but the employees were irrationally optimistic about the problem resolving itself by the end of this week. However, if Nintendo plans to use their Fire Emblem strategy, Lego City: Undercover won’t actually hit the shelves for a while.
It’s becoming increasingly difficult to enjoy my Wii U’s company these days, and Lego City: Undercover was supposed to repair our damaged relationship. But Nintendo is starting to feel like an abusive husband, and I’ve watched enough made-for-TV movies on Lifetime to know when it’s time to buy a taser.